That Thing About Fish
by Sara K M
Summary: When the Captain returns from Vienna, what to serve for dinner on Friday night becomes more complicated than anyone expected. And a man learns to respect an aspect of a woman's faith as he starts to fall in love with her.


That Thing About Fish

 **Disclaimer: I don't own** _ **The Sound of Music.**_

 **According to Canon Law before Second Vatican Council, Catholics were supposed to eat fish every Friday night. It is based on the idea that fish is usually considered "poor men's food" because it can easily be caught instead of bought.**

 **OOOOOOOO is time change**

 **XXXXXXXXX is POV change**

 **Many thanks to Bloomandgrow for helping me make both the dinners in this story "sound" Austrian.**

 _Almost a week after the Captain returns_

Maria was late for dinner. Again.

It wasn't as if she planned on it. On the contrary, Maria was trying to obey some of the Captains more reasonable instructions, to show him how much she appreciated him relaxing his unreasonable rules for the children. But something always prevented her from arriving in the dining room at 6:30PM. This evening, Maria had been busy looking for Marta and Gretl's pink hair ribbons. Both girls had insisted that their evening dresses wouldn't be complete without them. By the time Maria had found them and tied them to the end of their braids, she realized all three of them were eight minutes late.

"I'm so sorry, Captain!" she exclaimed as she rushed in holding onto both girls. "I completely lost track of time."

The Captain didn't say anything. He simply gave her a hard, disproving stare from his place at the head of the table.

"Don't blame Fraulein Maria, Father," Gretl told her father as she sat down. "I told her I wanted to find my pink hair ribbons before dinner."

"Me, too," Marta added, shyly showing her pink hair ribbons to her father.

To Maria's disappointment, the Captain didn't compliment the girls' ribbons. Still, at least he didn't scold the girls for being late. Instead, Liesl smiled at her younger sisters and told them, "I think they look very pretty. They go well with your dresses." Gretl wore a light green dress with pink trim and Marta wore a bright pink dress. They beamed at their older sister's praise.

Maria smiled at Liesl as she began cutting up Gretl's Weiner Schnitzel. A few seconds later, Gretl looked down at the meal and commented, "Fraulein Maria told us we were supposed to have fish on Friday nights."

"She did?" The Captain responded, not sounding very impressed with the idea. He gave Maria another one of his hard stares.

"Yes, I did sir," Maria replied, looking straight back at him. She knew he was trying to intimidate her again, but it never worked on her. Hadn't he figured that out by now? "I explained that Friday was the day that Christ died for us, and we should honor that sacrifice by eating food that is less fancy. Fish, in particular. The cook said you had some available, and we all ate it for the past two Fridays." Maria resumed cutting Gretl's meal as she finished talking.

The rest of the children nodded, agreeing with her assessment.

"We did," Kurt agreed.

"It tasted all right," Louisa added.

"Well," the Captain replied firmly. "Now that I have returned home, we will eat whatever the cook prepares on Friday night. _Proper_ food, of course."

"There really is nothing wrong with having fish once a week, Sir," Maria protested. She didn't like having her ideas discarded like that. Especially ideas that were important to her because of her faith. The knife and fork she was using screeched a little as she hit Gretl's plate too hard.

"There is nothing wrong with not eating it, either," he fired back. "And since this is _my home_ , I believe I do have the final say."

Maria was about to reply how unfair that was, that he had to have the final say in _all_ of their arguments, when she noticed the look on the Baroness's face as they discussed the fish. She looked positively disgusted. It had not occurred to Maria that someone may truly dislike fish. _Any_ kind of fish. And since the Baroness was a guest in this house, and hopefully, the children's new mother, perhaps her desires should come first. "I apologize Sir. It was easy to tell the cook to prepare fish when it was just the children and I eating on Fridays. But now…well do what you think is best, Captain." Maria finished cutting Gretl's Weiner Schnitzel as she observed the Captain's surprise face and the Baroness's relieved one.

Maria was about to begin cutting Marta's when the Captain got up and began chopping her food her instead. Now it was her turn to look at him in surprise. Maria knew the Captain wished to become closer to his children again, but this was still unexpected, particularly considering it was a gesture he had made without any prompting. "Thank you, Father," Marta told him, looking up at her father with all her love on her face. Maria smiled at the exchange.

"Well, I need to do something to speed things up," the Captain commented to Marta. "Between lateness, arguing over the meal, and everything else we have been waiting quite a while to eat." It sounded like the he was blaming her, but Maria knew this time he didn't mean it, because of the tone in his voice was teasing. The Captain was _teasing_ his daughter. Things were definitely improving.

"I agree with anything that will allow us to eat faster," Kurt announced.

"Same here, lad. The Weiner Schnitzel here is to die for," Herr Detweiler quipped.

"Can I cut my own Schnitzel, Father? Fraulein Maria?" Brigitta asked looking at both of them. "I am ten now you know. Liesl was ten when she began doing it herself. Friedrich was, too."

Maria didn't see any reason why Brigitta, who had probably been playing close attention to those who used sharp knives for a couple of years now, couldn't cut up her own dinner. "I think that is a fine idea."

The Captain looked from Brigitta to Maria for a few moments before he nodded. "I suppose you are older than I realized Brigitta." With a huge grin on her face, Brigitta began to cut her own food.

Finally, Maria said the blessing, the Captain wished everyone Guten appetite, and they all began enjoying their meal.

Maria began with the mashed potatoes. She wasn't sure whether she should eat the Weiner Schnitzel. Breaded pork was definitely _not_ what she should be eating on a Friday night. The nuns at the Abbey would be horrified. And although Maria had trouble obeying rules like not singing in the abbey, eating fish on Friday was something she never had a problem. Until now, that is.

Maria had eaten Weiner Schnitzel on other days at Von Trapp Villa, and she was well aware how tasty it was. The cook was able to give the pork exactly the right amount of breading and fry it to make the meat as juicy as possible. It wasn't as if the nuns would ever know, she argued with herself as she stared at the meat on her plate. What was one more broken rule? Besides, it was a sin to waste food as well, wasn't it? It smelled _very_ good…

Still, even if the nuns didn't know, _God_ would know if she ate the Weiner Schnitzel tonight. God would realize Maria had broken one of the few rules that she never had trouble with following at the Abbey. A rule she never had any trouble obeying before because she understood how important Christ's sacrifice was. Would God also believe she didn't appreciate Christ dying on the cross for her?

In the end Maria simply ate the mashed potatoes and the peas and left the Weiner Schnitzel untouched. She hoped none of the children saw her do that. They may use it as an excuse to leave their vegetables on their plate in the future.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

OOOOOOOOOO

 _About a week later._

"What do you think of this one, Georg?" Elsa asked, coming out of the dressing room wearing a purple dress with lace at the end and a plunging neckline.

Georg sighed, wondering for the millionth time _how on Earth_ he had been talked into this. First he agreed to host a party, which were never things he became excited about anyway. And with the increasing number of so – called Austrians singing the Natizs praises, he wasn't sure he'd have any friends at the party. Still, parties were important to Elsa. And she was correct. If Elsa was to become the next Baroness Von Trapp, she _should_ host a party in his home.

But if that wasn't enough, somehow Elsa had convinced him to go shopping with her for the gown she would wear at the party.

" _Darling, I_ must _have a new dress, and it must be perfect. Everyone knows the implications of this party, so all the eyes will be on me. You realize this. I would prefer to have the gown made especially for me, but I know there isn't enough time for that. Especially considering I'd never ask anyone but Frau Wiener to design for me, and she is back in Vienna."_

" _Of course, Elsa, but you look gorgeous in_ everything _you wear. You certainly don't need my help,"_ he had tried to argue.

" _Thank you, Georg, but I mean it. This is important. Plus, it's an excellent chance for us to spend the day together."_ He had sighed. Georg realized he had been neglecting Elsa lately, choosing to spend much of his time with his children. It was wonderful to interact with them again, but Elsa was correct. They needed to spend time together as a couple. Since Fraulein Maria had informed him, with a delightful mischievous smirk, that the children would be busy with a mysterious "surprise," he had no other reason to refuse Elsa.

Since Georg and Elsa were spending the day together, Max was supposed to be with them, but Max insisted he had business to attend to that he _absolutely_ must do today. Wasn't it convenient that the days they spent lounging around the Villa, Max had nothing to do, and when Elsa decided to go shopping, he was suddenly unavailable?

Salzburg's most prestigious formal wear shop sold women's gowns, dresses, children's dresses, and men's formal wear. Fortunately Georg still owned a nice tuxedo, or Elsa would force him to try the men's formal wear on as well. As it was, Elsa insisted he watch as she modeled what seemed like _every_ gown the shop had.

"Georg?" Elsa said again, more sharply this time, snapping him back to the present. "Well, I suppose that answers the question about this dress. I thought it would catch people's attention, but perhaps it _is_ too much."

Georg nodded dutifully.

Elsa disappeared in the dressing room for a few minutes and Georg's mind wandered again, wondering what surprise Fraulein Maria had planned for the children to surprise him with this time. Ordinarily, Georg disliked surprises, but he thought he might enjoy whatever they had come up with this time. He still had fond memories of the wonderful puppet show they had performed a few days ago.

Elsa emerged from the dressing room again, this time wearing a dark blue dress with a wide waist. "Do you like this one?"

"It's very nice, Elsa," Georg replied, automatically, forcing himself to keep his eyes on her this time, rather than letting his mind wander elsewhere.

Elsa nodded. "Perhaps this is the one, then. It certainly holds your attention better than the last one did! Although, I'm not sure if this dark blue is really my color…" She sighed and shook her head. "How would you like to break for lunch? Then we could visit the other dress shop across town afterwards."

"Wonderful idea, Elsa!" Georg agreed, eager to do anything that involved a break from shopping.

Elsa changed her clothes again and returned the gowns to the manager. And then they were ready to leave.

OOOOOOOOOO

They ate a nice lunch at a nearby restaurant before they headed to the next dress shop. This one wasn't as large as the last shop, as sold _only_ women's gowns. Still, there were more than enough gowns to keep Elsa occupied for several hours. Georg attempted to keep his eyes on her as she showed them to him, but it was difficult. He was a _man_ after all, and had little interest in women's dresses. How was he supposed to know which colors suited Elsa? And he certainly wasn't about to answer which dresses made her look "a little bigger!" Besides, he couldn't stop wondering what surprise Fraulein Maria and the children had for him.

Finally, Elsa decided on a gold sleeveless dress with a narrow waist. The gold, she decided, looked wonderful with her hair. Elsa also seemed satisfied with the way Georg's eyes wandered to her bare shoulders and arms in that dress. Well, Elsa had lovely arms and nice shoulders as well. Smooth, creamy, and wonderful when they wrapped around him or when he held her. Georg had known that for a while.

As they were on their way home, Georg spotted his favorite butcher and fish market store. On impulse, he stopped. "I think I will buy something here for dinner tonight."

Elsa nodded, a little confused. "Doesn't your cook already have the meals planned?"

"Perhaps, but it might be nice to try something new," he replied, trying to sound causal.

"Something new? Georg are you all right?" she asked taking his hand as he made his way into the store.

"Of course," he replied firmly. He knew what Elsa meant. Georg wasn't usually interested in "trying something new." Certainly not without careful deliberation. But he had his reasons, and he wasn't sure it was a good idea to explain them to her.

Confidently, he marched up to the butcher and asked to buy enough perch for eleven people.

After they exited the shop with Georg carrying the bag of fresh fish, Elsa finally began speaking. "Fish, Georg? I thought we had agreed last week that we would eat 'proper food'?

Georg resisted desire to give Elsa an angry look because she reminded him of the insults he'd given to Fraulein Maria about eating fish. An idea was obviously quite important to the fraulein. After all, Fraulein Maria hadn't touched her Weiner Schnitzel that night, and Georg was aware she normally liked that dish. But he didn't wish Elsa to realize how much his insults to the governess had affected him. So he only replied, "Elsa, perch is quite 'proper.' I've even seen it on the menu at several restaurants I've dined at in the past. It is actually quite tasty when it's cooked in breading and served with lemon."

Elsa remained silent for the rest of the ride home, but at least she seemed to have accepted the perch.

Meanwhile, Georg couldn't wait to see what Fraulein Maria would say when she saw his surprise for dinner tonight. He loved the idea of showing her he was capable of surprises as well.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Two hours later it was 6:30PM, the table was set and everyone at the Villa was dressed for dinner and seated at the dining room table. Everyone except Fraulein Maria, that was. Georg sighed and shook his head at her empty seat.

"It wasn't her fault this time, Father," Brigitta insisted. "We convinced Fraulein Maria to let us play outside after it finished raining and we were done practicing – "

"Brigitta!" Liesl interrupted her younger sister, shaking her head. Practicing what? Georg suddenly realized his daughter had been about to give him information on their surprise.

A part of him thought about pressing her, but before he could do so, Kurt continued, "But it was still muddy and…we got her dirty," his usually mischievous son explained with his head down. "Fraulein Maria knew she had to wash off before dinner."

"I see," Georg replied neutrally. Honestly, Fraulein Maria's lateness didn't bother him that much anymore. She more than made up for it with all of her attributes. It was no wonder his children adored her. To the point where they often insisted her mistakes were their fault, he thought to himself looking at her empty chair again. Still, Georg admitted that he wished Fraulein Maria could have been on time _tonight._ He couldn't wait to see her face when she realized they were having fish.

Eventually Fraulein Maria flew into the dining room, so quickly her tan dress was almost a blur with her strawberry blond hair. "I'm sorry, Captain," she apologized, as she always did when she was late. "I just needed to wash off a little. I suppose I didn't notice the time before…"

"So I have heard," he replied, trying to sound stern, but his voice sounded almost teasing instead.

Elsa cleared her throat behind them. "Well, since everyone is here, perhaps we could begin eating?"

"Of course," Fraulein Maria replied, as she moved to cut Gretl's dinner. And that's when it happened. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open as she realized what the main course was. He was amazed at how surprised Fraulein Maria was, actually. Since the fish had a strong smell, Georg thought she might have some idea what they were eating beforehand. He supposed her reaction only showed how unrealistic she believed it was that they would have fish again.

Georg smiled, the idea that _he_ could surprise _her_ was even more satisfying than he expected it would be. "Fish, Captain? But last week, you said you wished us all to eat, what was it? 'Proper food'?"

"Yes, well I decided it would be fine to eat fish this once," he replied, trying to sound causal. "Perhaps if you are served fish tonight, you might eat more of your meal?" _That_ was definitely teasing.

"I – I suppose so," she replied, softly looking right back at him with her beautiful blue eyes full of gratitude. Fraulein Maria obviously saw through his casualness and teasing. She knew Georg bought the fish specifically for her. She really was gorgeous when she looked at him like that, and he couldn't stop staring at her.

Elsa cleared her throat again. "I think the food might be getting cold," she commented, her meaning clear.

Kurt nodded. "I am hungry, Father."

Fraulein Maria quickly finished cutting Gretl's fish. Usually Georg would cut Marta's meat at the same time, but the fish was so soft, no one else really needed help.

In the meantime, Georg silently lectured himself. _You have to stop letting the governess distract you like that. Especially in front of Elsa._ Ever since the puppet show, Georg had been noticing Fraulein Maria more and more.

 _Just last night, Max had warned him of this problem. "Georg, I don't know if I should say anything about this, but you_ need to _be careful about the governess. I've never known you to 'lust after the help' in the past. And with Elsa here now – "_

 _And for some reason Georg had snapped, "Fraulein Maria isn't the help!" without thinking about it. At Max's surprised look, Georg corrected himself. "No, you are right, Max. Of course you are. I need to focus more on Elsa."_

Finally, Fraulein Maria said the prayer. It was a little different than her normal one. She prayed, "We thank thee for this meal, in particular, as you know the importance of eating fish on Friday to sacrifice for YOU."

With that, Georg wished everyone Guten appetite, and they all began enjoying their meal. The breading on the fish was just right to make the fish tender and the lemon gave it a wonderful flavor. The potato salad, complete with oil – based dressing and onions, was a perfect side dish. He was happy to see that despite the fuss Elsa had made before, she seemed to like the dinner as well. After all, Georg didn't want her to be unhappy.

Max happily discussed how successful his business trip was. "I think the young lady I saw today was quite promising. She won't give me as much money as _you_ have, Georg, but I suppose I can't have everything."

"It doesn't stop you from trying, does it Max?" Georg replied as he took a drink of white wine.

"Max just can't help himself, darling. You know that," Elsa commented chuckling. As she finished laughing, she gracefully took a drink of white wine as well.

Half way through the meal, Kurt commented as he swallowed a piece of fish, "If we are going to have fish for supper, could we try catching it in the lake next time, Father? I think that would be fun!"

Louisa nodded immediately. "Could we, Father?" She took a bite of fish as she finished asking the question.

Fiedrich nodded as well, eager to do anything involving the water. "That would be nice," he replied, obviously trying to sound genteel and grown – up. Fraulein Maria had been correct. Fiedrich wanted to be just like Georg. In fact, Fiedrich took another bite of potato salad at the same time as his father did.

"I'd like to go fishing, too," Brigitta commented, much to everyone's surprise. Brigitta wasn't usually that interested in outdoor activities. "I read a book about some people going fishing recently," she explained. "I thought I might like to try it."

"What an exciting new activity for you children!" Fraulein Maria commented, obviously loving the idea. Georg adored the way her face glowed when she was excited. "And perhaps, it might give us the opportunity to have more fish on Fridays. That is, if you are all right with the idea, Captain," she added, hastily, looking longingly at the rest of the fish on her plate before taking the last bite. Georg remembered how she'd worded the grace tonight, thanking God specifically for the fish on this day.

"We could plan a fishing trip next week, if the weather is good," Georg agreed nodding. The children cheered as they finished their dinner and he wondered how he'd ever thought he'd be happy without seeing their smiling faces. And Maria looked even happier than they did. Happier than Elsa _ever_ did. Georg still couldn't believe he'd brushed off her request to have fish on Fridays last week. It was obviously very important to her. And although he didn't share her strong faith, it really wasn't that big of an issue serve fish every Friday from now on. It was no more a problem than saying grace before meals. Actually, now that he thought about it, Maria's strong faith in God was something he had a lot of respect. It reminded him of the strong patriotism he felt for Austria. (The _real_ Austria, that is.)

Since almost everyone at the table was so happy with the plan for a fishing trip, Georg forgot that Elsa hadn't been happy when he bought the fish earlier. Would she be happy about a fishing trip? Unlikely, but Georg didn't even notice her expression that night.


End file.
